How to Rightsource for scaling up an organization!

Jagdish Your worth is as much as you create value for the organization. A leader with this clarity always strives to add value to whatever he/she does.?        

The ClariTea Chat with Dhiren Savla, Group CIO, VFS Global Services, was a fun yet brilliant session on decoding the principles of right sourcing - a combination of insourcing and outsourcing.?

He was destined to be part of India’s IT story. Listen to 'how his dream of becoming a doctor, died on the frog dissection table' in choosing a career in the pre-internet era, with limited guidance. He pursued the computer science field thereafter.?

Here are the 3 Ideas Worth Sharing from his Entrepreneurial journey:

The conversation started with Dhiren’s first stint in IBPS. He shared his experience, learning, and challenges.?

Take responsibility first, then comes the power.

• Go against the flow:- Most people restrict themselves to their role boundaries. You should consciously take more and more responsibility to come out as a leader.??
• Show the bigger picture:- Align your team to a common goal. Show the bigger picture, and visualize for them what they are going to build.?

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Before joining VFS, Dhiren worked in GE shipping, Merrill Lynch, Sharekhan.com, Prabhudas Lilladher & IL&FS, and CRISIL. Let’s deep dive into his 5 big learnings from those roles.?

• Watch out for learning:- If you are not learning anything for long, or not getting sound exposure; look for a new job.??
• Break the comfort zone:- An excellent job with nice pay is not enough. Try something new, and grow. Make a difference!??
• Never limit your imagination:- Think about all the possibilities around you right now. Test your imagination to see beyond the now.
• Be prepared for the unknown:- Things don’t always go as planned. Plan for the best, but be prepared for the worst!?
• Management skills: You have to convince people and handle their complaints arising due to transition. You need diplomacy and planning to solve some of the most difficult management problems.

Dhiren means patience. But looking at the number of roles he had before joining VFS, makes it clear that he was far from patient. But, he staying in VFS for the last 16 years, the question pops up in mind - ‘How do you retain high-energy, go-getter, impatient people; like Dhiren?’?

• The richness of Job-Profile:-? A good salary and designation without good job content cannot satisfy the needs of the individuals like Dhiren. Therefore, ensure that your teams have fulfilling job roles. The human mind loves challenges. The richness of the role must include lots of problem-solving.??
• Empowerment:-? People need to be empowered, to feel unconstrained and, to deliver value to the organization. Consider empowering everyone with small initiatives. These might go unnoticed, but will help people feel better.?
• Opportunity to prove oneself:- Each job and workplace offers some opportunity to prove self-worth. Figure out the minutest opportunities, and offer them to the team.?

To the intrigue as to why Dhiren switched roles from reputed companies and positions...

Don’t fear taking risks:- Switching a job from a well-reputed company and a good position, is difficult. Take a calculated and well-informed risk. Believe in yourself. You need to have ESCAPE VELOCITY to come out of your comfort zone.?

Moving forward, one of the audiences asked a pretty important question - ‘How to keep a low attrition rate, AND source the right people for Scaling Up?’? He continued adding to the previous discussion.

• Re-emphasizing empowering the team:- Introduce the culture of empowering each other as a leader. Let them own the success and failure. Whether it's decision-making or execution, do it collectively. Empowered teams love to introduce more like-minded people to the organization. They may help you source the right-fit people.??
• Investing in people:- Building trusted relationships. Giving them more responsibility is the only way to make them grow, and the organization.
• Identify the stars in the team:- Invest in them. Help them re-skill and up-skill. Build the future leaders.?
• Never get threatened by a team member:- Many CIOs may be threatened that a team member?might grow to take their position. But only if you allow them to take your position, will you be able to take a more prominent role in the future! ?
• Retain the right talent:- Invest in people. Ensure that they grow horizontally as well as vertically.?

Many companies have burned their fingers in strategic outsourcing. So, what did Dhiren learn from others' mistakes? His success principles which he learned and leveraged, to scale up the business:?

• Right Sourcing:- Insourcing and outsourcing are not what matters. The solution is right sourcing. ??
• Never outsource core activities:- Especially the execution accountability part. Have a partner who can deliver that, and bring elasticity for the growth.?
• Transform Vendor-Client relationship:- Have a partner-like relationship with your outsourcing partner; not a vendor-customer one.
• An outcome-based arrangement:- Partners should also have skin in the game. Both you and your partner should have a common goal. Your success is your partner’s success, and your failure is your partner's failure.??
• Rigorous governance at different levels:-?Reviews and discussion are required at each level, with frankness and honesty. What cannot be resolved, needs to be escalated to the next level, for decisions.

Moving forward, Dhiren answered why IT should be given a seat on the table? What kind of empowerment does it bring??

• Gives head start and lead over the competition:- IT has graduated from the typical enabler function to the differentiator function. IT works towards creating a product portfolio or service portfolio. That is having an impact on the bottom line of the company.?

IT is an enabler and differentiator and contributes to the product and market if you use it effectively. ?

Moving forward, Dhiren shared how CXOs being on the executive board helps??

• Fast-track decision-making:- IT strategy and business strategies are required to be fully aligned. This structure will permit a complete alignment between the business and the technology strategy.?
• A two-way flow of information from business to IT and from IT to business.?
• Talk in the business language:- A CIO gets exposed to start thinking like a business leader. Business doesn't care about whether you use Microsoft or Oracle. Think about how the business is going to grow and how the profitability is going to increase.?Being on the board helps that.

?Someone from the audience asked Dhiren, ‘how do you bring about entrepreneurial spirit at every level of your team?’?

• Allow them to ‘fail’ and ‘have a high tolerance for failures.’??
• Try out new things:- Allow them to try out new things. Let them know that they don't get penalized for small failures. That’s the way people will take risks.???

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You fail when you try. If you do not try, you will not succeed.?

The next question from the audience was very apt and important: 'Should a CIO take macro-management, micro-management, or mixed approaches?'

• If you micro-manage, then, you are not doing justice to the job.?
• If something goes wrong, step in to correct it, and move out.??
• If multiple team members are not getting aligned, you are the boss; use your veto appropriately, to correct them.??

Inclusive leadership philosophy - A leader is neither a boss nor a master, but an effective moderator.??

To conclude, a company's culture plays a pivotal role in shaping your career. An entrepreneurial mindset, great team, re-skilling, and up-skilling, can help you and your teams grow.?

So, how is your organization? Are you growing while taking risks? Do you have a culture to retain people like Dhiren??

Here's the video of the ClariTea Chat between Jagdish and Dhiren:

?Here is the link to the complete ClarITea chat episode.?

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